Chapter 300: Sacrificial Flag Candidate

Driven out of the bamboo house by Hua Changxi, Hua Sanlang felt both humiliated and angry, while also carrying a bellyful of grievance and pain.

He had finally seen it—Jiuniang didn't regard him as a brother at all, nor did she keep him in her heart; otherwise, she wouldn't have been so merciless.

In the spirit field, Zhu Qinghuan saw Hua Sanlang striding back and felt somewhat surprised. After Hua Sanlang got closer to the spirit field, she noticed his terrible expression. Hesitating for a moment, she still walked out of the spirit field.

"Senior Brother Hua."

Hearing the call, Hua Sanlang paused in his steps, turned his head, and saw Zhu Qinghuan walking toward him against the moonlight.

"Junior Sister Zhu."

After becoming disciples of Danyuan Peak, all apprentices spontaneously addressed each other as senior and junior brothers and sisters.

Zhu Qinghuan walked up to Hua Sanlang and saw that his expression was indeed not good, so she asked with concern: "You seem to be in a bad mood—has something happened?"

At that moment, Hua Sanlang wanted to find someone to talk to about his pent-up frustrations. Thinking that Zhu Qinghuan had always been someone he could talk to easily and was understanding and tactful, he couldn't help but pour out his heart.

"I just had a big quarrel with Jiuniang. Jiuniang really broke my heart."

Zhu Qinghuan was startled for a moment, then immediately looked around.

The moonlight was hazy, and all was quiet—a perfect time for heart-to-heart talk.

"Senior Brother Hua, if you want someone to talk to, I'm willing to keep you company."

To avoid being seen by others, Zhu Qinghuan said to Hua Sanlang: "Senior Brother Hua, why don't we sit on the ridge of the field?"

Hua Sanlang nodded and walked with Zhu Qinghuan to the edge of the ridge and sat down. The thriving spirit rice plants conveniently concealed their figures.

"You should know that Hua Changxi is my sister—my full-blooded, legitimate sister."

"In other families, when one person gains power, they immediately give back to the family. But in our family, Jiuniang gained power, but the family got little benefit and instead suffered plenty of trouble."

"What's most chilling is that Jiuniang would rather trust outsiders than trust and promote her own family."

"I won't even mention the spirit mine recruitment before. Take the opening of the Danyuan Secret Realm—not only did the family give full support, but they also brought the entire Hua clan to help her..."

Hearing this, Zhu Qinghuan couldn't help rolling her eyes and interrupted: "Senior Brother Hua, to say something you won't like, you might really not understand the situation."

"It's not that you and the Hua clan are helping the Peak Master; it's that the Peak Master accepted you."

Hua Sanlang choked up: "Junior Sister Zhu, don't tell me you've forgotten—back when Jiuniang was rejected by everyone, we joined Danyuan Peak at that time, and it was risky."

Zhu Qinghuan finally understood why Hua Changxi had driven Hua Sanlang down the mountain, and she also felt like leaving: "Senior Brother Hua, I understand now—you only want to gain benefits without taking responsibility, right?"

Hearing this, Hua Sanlang, as if his sore spot had been touched, instantly bristled and said sternly: "Junior Sister Zhu, what nonsense are you spouting?"

Zhu Qinghuan looked him straight in the eye: "Did I really say it wrong? Whether now or before the spiritual energy recovery, isn't it supposed to be normal to take some risks to accomplish something?"

"How come with you people, taking a little risk seems like a huge favor?"

"Not to mention that you weren't the first to join Danyuan Peak—even if you were, actively helping your own sister shouldn't come with expecting repayment, because by joining Danyuan Peak, you yourselves gained benefits."

Hua Sanlang's lips trembled, and he didn't know how to refute.

Zhu Qinghuan sighed: "Senior Brother Hua, I actually understand the thoughts of you and your family."

"Maybe you yourselves haven't realized—in your hearts, you think the Peak Master is a member of the Hua family, and she is a woman; before marriage, a woman has no private property, so you naturally think that everything she owns belongs to the Hua family."

"But... things are different now. The most powerful person in your family now is the Peak Master. If you want to rely on her to obtain resources, you have to bow to her."

Hua Sanlang couldn't vent his anger at Zhu Qinghuan, so he could only say stiffly: "So once someone gains power, they can disown their family and disregard kinship?"

Zhu Qinghuan smiled faintly and shook her head: "Senior Brother Hua, let me put it this way—do you think there is such a thing as kinship in the imperial family?"

Hua Sanlang frowned and said nothing.

Zhu Qinghuan continued: "Imperial family members, whether in power or status, rely on the emperor's bestowal. This is no different in essence from your family relying on the Peak Master."

"Think carefully—how do imperial family members treat the emperor? And how do you treat the Peak Master?"

Hearing this, Hua Sanlang felt extremely uncomfortable. He stood up abruptly: "Junior Sister Zhu, are you here to comfort me or to make me feel worse?"

Zhu Qinghuan also stood up, her expression unchanged: "Senior Brother Hua, I could certainly say some pleasant words you'd like to hear to please you, but you are my friend, and doing that would go against my principles."

Hua Sanlang stared at Zhu Qinghuan for a while, then turned around and walked away quickly without saying anything.

Zhu Qinghuan watched Hua Sanlang walk away, shook her head and sighed: "No wonder Hua Changxi has such a fiery temper—with family like this, it's probably impossible for her to have a good disposition."

Since Dan Yuan Peak recruited three Nascent Soul stage apprentices, Yu Fu and his group of four became regulars at the bamboo house, enduring the agonizing medicinal bath tempering every day to continuously refine their cultivation and strength.

At the same time, Hua Changxi's appearances on the first level of the secret realm and on Dan Yuan Peak also increased.

With more and more apprentices on Dan Yuan Peak, Yu Fu's four alone couldn't manage them all; she needed to select a group of people who truly identified with Dan Yuan Peak's construction philosophy to manage and expand it.

Moreover, training alchemists had to be put on the agenda.

"Uncle Xu, go to the Qihuang Pavilion and tell Shen Qianfan that in November, I will be teaching how to refine pills at the No. 6 Qihuang Hall."

"Because practical alchemy will be conducted during the period, the hall certainly can't accommodate many people. Be sure to tell Yuan Tianchou that I'll bring fifty apprentices over, and on his end, he can allow at most fifty people to audit."

Pharmacist Xu acknowledged and went to the Qihuang Pavilion.

Soon, everyone within the Medical Department knew that Hua Changxi was going to give lectures at the Qihuang Hall again, and this time it was on how to refine pills.

Unfortunately, the slots were limited.

Just as Hua Changxi was in the Dan Yuan Peak HR department selecting alchemists to train from résumés, the Northern Pacification Office sent a message saying that traces of the demon race had appeared in the capital.

After learning this, Hua Changxi immediately contacted Tong Yao, Jing Le, and Yan Zhenzhen, confirming from the three that the Demon Suppression Army had already clashed with the demon race twice.

Yan Zhenzhen also reminded her, "Changxi, be careful. Recently, when Tong Yao, Jing Le, and I were on patrol, we all felt someone was following us. We all suspect it's the demon race."

Since other secret realm masters had also started recruiting outside cultivators, the task of patrolling the East City was shared among everyone, and it had been over half a month since Hua Changxi last patrolled the East City.

Hua Changxi put away the résumés, called over Wan Feng, and handed him the two hundred selected ones: "Divide these two hundred people into four groups and notify them to take turns learning alchemy with me in November."

With that, she quickly left.

After seeing Hua Changxi off, Wan Feng quickly flipped through the résumés. Seeing that Ye Lingxuan and her group were not among them, he felt some regret and disappointment.

"I wonder if the Peak Master will assign important roles to Senior Sister Ye and the others?"

After leaving the HR department, Hua Changxi exited the Medical Department and then appeared on the East City Gate of the capital.

On the second floor of a gambling den three streets away from the East City Gate, the enchanting landlady leaned on the window, looking at Hua Changxi on the gate, and licked the corner of her mouth with her tongue.

"Hua Changxi from the Dan Saint Hall has finally shown her face."

Among the five sacred lands, the Central Sacred Land held a great terror that the demon race dared not provoke; the three sacred lands of Artifacts, Talismans, and Formations also had many old monsters that needed careful handling.

It was only the Dan Saint Hall that was a tangled mess of factions, and the most prominent Hua Changxi was a loner with neither backing nor helpers.

Thus, they could only use her as a sacrificial offering to boost the demon race's morale.

"Damn Demon Suppression Army, forcing me to not even dare go out. Tonight, together with Four-Headed Duck and the other two, I'll slaughter Hua Changxi to intimidate the human race!"